Who’s stealing your customers, and how to steal them back

I sometimes visit Starbucks for several reasons, chief among them discovering all the wild ways baristas can phonetically translate my name. Every time I do, that’s a win for Starbucks. I picked its coffee over Dunkin’s, McDonalds’, and all the other big chains. However, my coffee options are not limited to the usual suspects; every neighborhood has its independent local coffee shop. In fact, some neighborhoods often have a few. I also could have had coffee at home or the office. But I’m not limited to coffee when I need a break or a pick-me-up. I could have traded caffeine for mindfulness by listening to a guided meditation or quickly recharged with a power nap. Or I could have watched vintage cast iron skillets restoration videos on YouTube. Do you see where this is going? When it comes to your competition, you’re thinking too small.

This exercise will push you to look beyond just your direct competitors or substitutes to the alternative ways in which your audience fulfills the exact needs you address. This is useful because it shows you who you’re actually competing against beyond the brands in your category and how your audience makes decisions when it comes to fulfilling their needs.

Finally, this exercise helps you uncover opportunities to differentiate your brand and offering, creative ways to position your brand in the market, think about your long-term growth strategy, and even find new ideas for your messaging and copywriting.

First, we will define your competitive landscape by drawing a map of the playing field; then, we will list our competitors, and lastly, we will analyze their brands to discover opportunities to differentiate ourselves.

1. Landscape

We’ll now map your competitive landscape using a diagram of six concentric circles. At the center, in circle one, there’s you—a category of one. As you move outward, each ring represents a broader competitive category, along with the competitors or key players you’ll encounter at each level.

If Netflix were to map its competitive landscape using this diagram, it might look like this:

1. Circle 1: Netflix–A category of one.
2. Circle 2: Video streaming services—Direct competitors in the same business model (Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Prime Video).
3. Circle 3: TV entertainment—Broader category of television-based entertainment, including both streaming and traditional TV networks (ABC, NBC, BBC, FX, HBO, CBS).
4. Circle 4: Digital Entertainment & Screen-Based Media—Entertainment that competes for screen time (YouTube, TikTok, Twitch, PlayStation, Oculus).
5. Circle 5: Home Entertainment (Penguin Random House, Hasbro, Spotify).
6. Circle 6: Leisure—The broadest category, covering all activities competing for time and attention inside and outside the home, including—god forbid—hanging out with friends.

While the rings should follow a logical hierarchy, there is no single right answer to what that hierarchy should be because the categories you choose will reflect both your current understanding of available alternatives and your long-term vision. For example, if you were a running shoes brand, your broadest category could end up beign health and fitness, fashion, or lifestyle—it all depends on how you want your brand to be perceived.

Let’s do this!

1. Everyone writes down their own list of categories.
2. Going around the room, everyone reads their list aloud and briefly explains the rationale. Two minutes per person will suffice.
3. The group gets five minutes to discuss.
4. The DM declares the final label for each of the diagram rings.

2. Key Players

Now it’s time to list your competitors or key players for each ring, then prioritize the top five competitors to analyze in the next step.

1. Participants have 5 minutes to call out competitors and key players in ring two (your direct competitors). The facilitator writes each player’s name on the whiteboard.
2. Repeat for each ring. Aim for at least three to five names per ring.
3. The DM picks the top five competitors. They can take a few minutes to discuss with the group if needed.

We’re limiting the number of competitors to analyze in the next step to five. I’ve found that it’s usually enough to get a picture of what’s going on in the industry, and it allows us to complete the exercise within a reasonable timeframe. Still, you can pick more or fewer competitors depending on your specific situation—the goal here is to gain a high-level understanding of your competitive landscape’s features and trends.

When deciding which competitors should move to the next phase, start with those whose customer base overlaps most with yours. Then, consider which players are driving the most impact and change in your market and which brands represent where you want to be in the future.

3. Strategy Canvas

Now, we’ll evaluate the offer and brand personality of the players you just shortlisted. This will help you identify trends and gaps in the landscape. We’ll do that using a tool I borrowed from The Blue Ocean Strategy called the Strategy Canvas.

The Strategy Canvas is one of the most powerful tools for understanding market positioning and finding differentiation. However, many businesses struggle to identify the factors that should go on their canvas. To simplify this process, I’ll share with you two sets of traits that apply across industries to any organization:

Offer

• Cost: What’s the price of entry? Is it a flat fee, or does the cost scale depending on the experience? How affordable or premium does it feel?
• Variety: How broad is the selection? Are there many different experiences or just one core offering? Is it designed for different tastes or more niche?
• Access: How easy is it to engage? Is it available in multiple locations or just one? Is it tied to a physical space, or can people participate from anywhere?
• Fun: How enjoyable is the experience? Do people have a good time, or is it more serious and hard? Is it welcoming or aloof?
• Impact: How meaningful is the experience? Do people return for more? Does it spark real change or transformation in their lives?

Personality

• Sincerity: Down-to-earth (Down-to-earth, Family-oriented, Small-town); Honest (Honest, Sincere, Real); Wholesome (Wholesome, Original); Cheerful (Cheerful, Sentimental, Friendly.) Brands scoring high in sincerity might be LEGO, Crocs, or Etsy.
• Excitement: Daring (Daring, Trendy, Exciting); Spirited (Spirited, Cool, Young); Imaginitive (Imaginitive, Unique); Up-to-date (Up-to-date, Independent, Contemporary.) Brands scoring high in excitement might be Red Bull, TikTok, or Liquid Death.
• Competence: Reliable (Reliable, Hard working, Secure); Intelligent (Intelligent, Technical, Corporate); Successful (Successful, Leader, Confident). Brands scoring high in competence might be FedEx, LinkedIn, or Dyson.
• Sophistication: Upper class (Upper class, Glamorous, Good looking); Charming (Charming, Feminine, Smooth.) Brands scoring high in sophistication might be Bang & Olufsen, Rolls Royce, and Häagen-Dazs.
• Ruggedness: Outdoorsy (Outdoorsy, Masculine, Western); Tough (Tough, Rugged.) Brands scoring high in ruggedness might be GoPro, Charhartt, or G-Shock.

Here’s how to go through the strategy canvas exercise with your team:

• Form small groups. If your team has five or more people, work in pairs (with one trio if the number is odd).
• Introduce the offer and personality traits to the group.
• Participants have five minutes to research the first competitor. They can use their phones and laptops to do so.
• Each pair writes down their own score between 1 and 5 for each trait.
• Going around the room, everyone reads their scores aloud while the facilitator notes them on the canvas.
• The facilitator averages the collected scores for each trait to determine the final rating and charts it on the canvas.
• The DM can accept the results or take five minutes to refine the scores with the group.
• Repeat for each competitor.

After analyzing competitors, it’s time to apply the same framework to your own aspirational brand identity to define how you plan to differentiate your offer and how you want your brand to be perceived in comparison. Take a step back and look at the big picture: Where do you see opportunities? What strengths can you double down on? What gaps can you fill? You know the drill:

• Participants have a few minutes to write down their own scores individually.
• Going around the room, everyone reads their scores aloud while the facilitator notes them on the canvas.
• The facilitator averages the collected scores for each trait to determine the final rating and charts it on the canvas.
• Discuss for five minutes to refine. The DM calls out the final scores.

The offer and personality traits I’ve provided are useful generalizations. If you want to go deeper, consider customizing this framework for your industry. Take time at the beginning of this exercise to identify the specific competitive factors that shape customer decisions in your space—both in terms of offer and brand personality. Now plot your competitors’ and your brand against the standards you just defined: Which factors can be reduced? Which ones can be raised? Which ones can be eliminated? Which new factors can you include that your industry isn’t even considering?

Here’s an example from GOODBIDS, one of my past projects. GOODBIDS competes in the charity auction software industry, but unlike competitors who focus on providing high-tech, one-stop shop solutions and look like generic tech companies, we:

• Offer a unique donation model (every bid is a non-refundable donation.
• Focus on simplicity—fewer features, easy setup, quick customization.
• Have a bold, fun, and friendly brand identity that celebrates the generosity of the donors instead of positioning us as just another nonprofit tech provider.

GOODBIDS’ Strategy Canvas looks something like this:

Nonprofits like Save the Children and charity:water raised over 70K USD on GOODBIDS during launch week. Supporters won prizes like Apple Watches, appearances in Future Best-Selling novels, and concert tickets, all for a fraction of their market value. The Goodbids.org code is now open-source; maybe you’ll do something generous with it!

Now it’s your turn to change the rules and discover new ways to create more value for your audience.